Pretend Squared
by Kilrez
Summary: JMP. Jarod’s seriously broken the rules of the game
1. Default Chapter

**Pretend Squared**

Chapter One

Disclaimer: me no own pretender. #bashes lawyers with club#

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Parker stalked down the dark alleyway, casting left and right for any sign of the pretender. Round the corner, there was an extended rattling-clang as one of the sweepers kicked over a garbage bin, possibly out of frustrated malice. The problem with organised search patterns was that they were long, boring, and frequently yielded very little. 

The occasional thud and bang could be heard, spreading away from where Miss Parker herself searched, fanning out to meet another ring of sweepers that were holding a perimeter. She refrained from letting out her own anger on the odd dumpster- the noise would let the Rat hear her coming. She wanted to surprise him. And yet, despite her silence, there was suddenly a strong hand covering her mouth, and she was pulled with alarming and irresistible efficiency out of sight from the alley mouth, by an unknown body pressed against her back.

Parker's wrists were clasped in one of her attacker's hands, whilst the other fumbled around her waist before she had time to react. Growling, she kicked as hard as should could backwards…and lost her balance when she failed to hit anything substantial. Her attacker finally managed to free her handcuffs, and with a smooth movement, handcuffed both her hands to the dumpster. Then, removing her gun from its holster, he stepped away from her and into her line off view. Parker nearly had an aneurysm right there.

'Dammit Rat-boy, what the hell do you think you're playing at?' She yanked hard on the chain, and found no give.

He was wearing his usual leather jacket, but his eyes were wild, and there was something strange in his manner, giving him a dangerous look. Keeping his eyes fixed on her, he carefully placed her gun on top of another dumpster and out of her reach.

'We need to talk.'

'Undo these cuffs, _right now,_ and then we can talk about how I am taking your arse back to the Centre.'

'This is important Miss Parker.'

'So important it couldn't wait until three in the morning?' she snapped sarcastically, annoyed that he had captured her so easily.

'You need to keep off my trail for a little while.' He said it earnestly, never taking his eyes off her. Parker couldn't resist the urge to laugh.

'That's what you needed to tell me face to face? That you want a little bit of down-time?' Parker laced her voice with venomous disbelief, trying to ignore the humiliation of having been handcuffed to a dumpster by the labrat. His dark, intelligent gaze bored straight into her, unaffected by her bluffing.

'Miss Parker, after five years out here, the Centre isn't the only large and dangerous organisation who wants me painfully rent limb from limb.'

'Serves you right for acting like Florence Nightingale all the time.' Retorted Parker. She briefly broke his gaze to determine just how far away he had put her gun. He followed her quick glance, and his eyes glinted hardly when she looked back again.

'I don't think you're getting the situation here. The Centre will never catch me. The…other, organisation will never catch me. But the Centre and the other organisation can run into each other, all too easily whilst chasing me, and then a lot of people will die.'

'You underestimate us Rat.'

'No. No I don't.' He said it with an eerie certainty, and Parker knew it wasn't just a boast.

So…what? I just call off the chase, and then what?'

'And then I deal with the other pursuit.'

'Can you be a little more vague perhaps?' The hard glint jumped back into Jarod's eyes at her sarcastic question. Parker got the impression of being some sort of exotic creature behind bars at a zoo- well out of reach of her quarry, yet still attempting to snarl.

'The main step in my plan is to fake my death, followed by being inconspicuous for a while. Both of these things are very hard to do when moving house every three days.'

'No way labrat. I give you even a week's head-start and you'll disappear off the face of the earth. Now let me go, or I'll scream, and there'll be sweepers all over you in a heartbeat.'

Jarod gave her a weary smile, and shook his head. Then, to Parker's horror, he pulled a pad of folded cloth out of his pocket and advanced toward her. 'I just thought I'd ask nicely.' He said almost regretfully, managing to catch her easily and press the cloth over her mouth. Parker had seen it coming, and managed to get a good lungful of air, so she held her breath and struggled hard, trying to scream through the muffling cloth. Jarod waited patiently, avoiding potentially incapacitating elbows and knees that came flying toward him.

Against her will, she felt her chest inflate slightly when she simply couldn't breathe out anymore, and within seconds, her muscles loosened of their own accord and he was soon the only thing holding her up. Jarod removed the chloroform cloth before she could put herself any further under and lowered her gently to the ground, the cuffs pulling tight with a clink.

Parker glared at him as he used the keys for the cuffs to free her. She was unable to move, but still vaguely conscious, and very angry. He re-holstered her gun, and replaced the cuffs on her belt before checking the alley to make sure it was still clear.

'Sorry Miss Parker,' murmured Jarod as he scooped her up, 'it's nothing personal.' He easily carried her out into the alley, then in someone's unlocked back door.

'No luck then Jarod?' Asked a deep, jovial male voice. Parker's head lolled against his chest as she made a desperate attempt to move.

''fraid not Harold. Lead the way.'

Footsteps on wooden floorboards, along a musty smelling corridor, then through a door and down some steps, the light dimming considerably. Jarod paused, and Parker heard a trapdoor slam above, bringing sudden blackness. She could hear only two sets of breathing- her own, and that of the pretender. Harold remained above.

Seemingly able to see in the dark, Jarod started forwards, then stopped and lowered her onto a bed. His presence withdrew and Parker tried to move her limbs against what felt like thick honey. What was worse, a calming peace was spreading through her, and she was having to fight to keep her eyes open.

There was the scrape of a match and the flickering yellow light of a candle played across the ceiling. A few more clicks, scrapes and footsteps that Parker was unable to associate with anything in particular and then Jarod was next to her again. An attempt to reach up and throttle him resulted in a weak flop of her left arm. Her head lolled to the side, and the pretender carefully arranged the pillow to support her.

Silently, he took her pulse on her wrist, checking her pupils as he did so. Parker bridled internally at his touch. Apparently satisfied that he had done her no harm, he sat back.

'The chloroform, Miss Parker, was the quickest way to prevent you screaming. However, it will give you a bit of a headache. That's why I gave you such a low dose. Unfortunately, I need you all the way unconscious for this next bit.'

Parker became aware of the hypodermic syringe he held in his hand and began to struggle in earnest, finding reserves she hadn't known she possessed. Her limbs suddenly responded to her commands, and she caught his wrist that held the needle. Unfortunately, she was still very weak, and Jarod was able to free himself at the same time as firmly capturing her arm. She continued to thrash weakly from side to side, making it hard for him to isolate the vein, so he put the syringe down, and drew a tourniquet around her upper arm. Pulling it tight, he pinned down Parker's arm again and smoothly injected the drug into her.

'No' she mumbled thickly, fighting the astonishingly quick wave of dizziness that swept over her. She took a deep breath as the room swam out of view and the last thing she felt was the tourniquet loosening.

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End Chapter One; to be continued. 


	2. Another Default Chapter

**Pretend Squared**

Chapter Two

Author's note: thanks to all those who reviewed- you make me kinda nervous that I might stuff this up and then you'll all be angry at me.

**Rev2004:** This was as soon as possible- I hope it meets your expectations

**Pretender fan: **thanks for an enthusiastic review- apart from the nervousness factor, it makes me feel I'm doing something right.

**Jar-Par Fan: **Thankyou so much- there is nothing quite so flattering as a favourites list. Loved your postulations on flowers.

**Gemini-M:** Have I ever said thankyou for all your reviews? Because thankyou for always reviewing me, even when I'm writing really badly. I think one of yours was the first review I ever got.

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Jarod watched calmly as Parker stilled completely, her eyes finally sliding all the way shut. They had to wait down here for approximately two hours before continuing on, via a lower, sub-basement, into the sewers. He put away the hypodermic syringe, and generally cleaned up at bit, erasing any obvious signs of his passage through here. The trapdoor down here was underneath a carpet in Harold's house, one of hundreds of dwellings inside the Centre perimeter- but one could never be too careful. 

Having made everything as normal looking as possible, he returned to his seat by Parker's bedside to wait. He allowed himself to slip into a light slumber, but awoke exactly an hour and forty-five minutes later- a skill he had long since perfected. Checking that Parker was still under, he sought out the second hidden trapdoor, opened it, then picked her up again and started downwards. He had to put her down to shut it behind him, but left it up to Harold to come down there later and push the old set of draws back over the top.

Trying not to breathe, Jarod walked the short length of the sub-basement, purposefully ignoring Harold's significant cache of 'substances' and out into the sewer proper. After a short while, his nose numbed against the powerful stench of raw sewage, and he plodded onwards, occasionally shifting the burden in his arms. A long while later he reached a marker that no one else would have noticed, and took a right turn. Once, Jarod put Parker down on a handy, pre-prepared pile of blankets and carefully checked for indicators of consciousness. Chewing on his lip in indecision for a moment, he left the next dose of anaesthetic in his pocket and picked her up again.

It was a long journey, but Jarod had trained thoroughly for the eventuality. Nudging aside a rotting wooden board with his foot, he stepped through into the old sewers- dry and no longer used. Gradually the smell faded, replaced by the faint mustiness of old air. These tunnels were not on the city maps any more, and Jarod had had to break his way in from the surface. It was that same entrance he used now, greeting the fresh night air with relief.

As he strapped Parker into the waiting car, she stirred slightly, so he used the handcuffs again to secure her to the seat. They were out in poor suburbia now, the old sewer entrance in a seriously vandalised and dirty small park. He clipped the seatbelt on and then remembered her gun, which he had taken with them so it wouldn't be found on the scene of the kidnapping. Considering for a moment, he took it out of its holster, removed the clip, threw it away and then returned the gun. He knew Parker was very attached to her gun, and everything would be a lot easier if the minimum of trouble was stirred with her.

Shutting the door, he crossed to the driver's side and started the engine, whisking them off into the night.

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End chapter two; to be continued 


	3. Some More Default Chapter

Chapter three

Author's note: sorry I didn't update until now. Fanfiction wouldn't let me log in, has anyone else had that problem?

Rev2004: you're welcome. Hope this chapter long enough to meet your standards. Have a nice week.

pretender fan: arg! Your review is excellent, thankyou, but arg! I can't tell you what's gonna happen just yet and it's killing me.

S.D.: you're review was very flattering, thankyou. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

mariel4000:simple and to the point, as always. :)

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Parker came to gradually, becoming aware of the bouncing and jolting, then the quiet humming of the car engine, soon followed by the incredible dryness of her mouth, and finally, of what had just happened.

'Jarod?' she groaned, opening her eyes, but having to squint until they adjusted even to the darkness inside the car.

'Yes Miss Parker?'

'I am going to skin you alive then chop your balls off and feed them to you.' Her voice was fuzzy and thick, and she swallowed in an attempt to wet her throat.

'I am sorry Miss Parker, but this really is the only way.'

'What way is that?' she asked nastily, testing the handcuffs as a bolt of nervousness ran through her. She remembered now that he had asked her to keep away for a while- any way he could get her to do that involuntarily didn't seem like a pleasant idea. He was silent for a few moments, apparently considering her question.

'Jarod?' she asked again finally when he didn't reply. He kept silent one moment longer, then-

'Just going to make sure you don't come after me for a few weeks.'

Parker tried to swallow again, but failed. Just then, the car came to a stop, and the headlights were switched off. She tried to see where they were, but it was pitch black outside. Jarod opened his door, and she was briefly blinded by the dim car light, then he shut it and disappeared into the night.

Parker took a deep, shuddering breath. Bending down, she tried to see exactly what her hands were bound to, but it was as though she had her eyes shut. Feeling around as much as she could, she failed to find anything that would give. Nevertheless, she gave a hard yank on the chain and succeeded in hurting her wrists. Beginning to panic slightly, she began to saw back and forwards, but before she had time to go very far, she was blinded again, and then Jarod was standing over her, an amused expression on his face. 'Go to hell rat-boy.' She snapped, furious with him. Her breath steamed in the icy air.

'A bit of cooperation Miss Parker, and neither of us would be here.' As he said so, he squatted down and produced the key to the handcuffs. Parker fixed him with an icy glare, which provoked a mild smile from the pretender as he released her left hand, then reattached the cuff to his own left wrist. 'Can you stand?' he asked. Parker clenched her jaw. 'Go shove your thumb up your arse.'

'Has anyone ever told you that you are incredibly stubborn?'

'Famous for it.'

'Suit yourself,' replied Jarod, and before she could react, he slid one hand behind her lower back, one hand under her knees, and picked her up, holding her like a baby across his chest. He managed to take one step before she began to fight like a wildcat and he was forced to put her down, dropping her legs first so she could stand. Her free fist came flying towards his face, and he caught it, stopping it mid air. At that point, Parker realised that in fact, she couldn't stand, and Jarod caught her just as her knees buckled, propping her upright against the car.

Parker could just see his wary consideration of her from the car light, and she allowed herself a small amount of grim pride. Seeming to come to a decision, Jarod came up beside her and, putting a hand around her waist to steady her, he propelled her forwards. Parker considered digging her heels in for a moment, but thought better of it; she was having serious difficulty keeping her feet as it was. Jarod was on her left side, so their joined arms were pulled across in front of them.

Unable to see anything in the pitch darkness, and unable to even stand on her own, Parker felt trapped, and began to shiver in the cold night air. Jarod had never harmed her, but then, he had never kidnapped her before either, and there was something strange about him that she couldn't put her finger on. He set a slow pace, and at times, took her whole weight as she stumbled, but eventually they came to a stop, and he carefully released her to see if she could stand. Parker wavered a bit, but managed to stay upright.

She heard the clink of keys, then a door opened, and he led her inside by the handcuffs. The scrape of a match, and the soft light of a candle banished the darkness. Nothing to an electric light, to Parker's straining eyes it was now bright enough to make out a small log cabin, with a double mattress on the floor, a rickety wooden table, one curtained window, a stone fireplace and one other door, presumably to the bathroom.

'Where are we?' asked Parker, her voice for the first time lacking any animosity. They were far enough from anywhere that there was no electricity, which almost certainly meant there was no one close enough to hear her scream, thus making it a good idea not to make Jarod angry.

'Ranger's cabin' he replied simply, shutting and bolting the door then leading her over to the bed. He helped her sit on the mattress, then removed the cuff off his wrist and reattached it to a shackle that had been driven deep into one of the logs that made up the wall- evidence that this had all been well planned. Glad to be able to sit down, and grateful to have one hand free at last, Parker decided not to complain.

Having secured her, Jarod set about laying and lighting a fire, and once it was catching, he disappeared into the other door, carrying another lit candle. A moment later, he reappeared, setting down the candle and holding a mug of something. Parker's parched mouth came sharply to her attention and she looked longingly at the drink, not caring if it was laced with arsenic, as long as she could have one sip.

Keeping carefully out of her reach, he silently handed her the mug, then went back to the fire to feed a few more twigs in. Parker peered at the liquid, then sniffed cautiously at it, and deduced that it was probably water. A sip confirmed this, and the slight mossy flavour told her that it wasn't mains- most likely out of a rainwater tank. She drained the mug in three gulps and set it down with a sigh. Jarod glanced over his shoulder at the sound. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he shook his head and returned to the fire. When he felt he had built it up enough, he grabbed a pot that sat next to the chimney and fossicked in a cupboard for a can of something, which he opened and emptied into the pot. That done, he suspended it over the fire and sat back, stirring it occasionally.

'So, you plan on leaving me stranded here until you've shaken your other pursuers?' Parker asked, trying to get some sort of information out of the pretender. She propped one of the pillows up against the wall and shuffled back to lean against it.

'Something like that.' Turning his back on her, he ladled the substance in the pot into two bowls then took the pot off the fire. Picking the first bowl up, he retrieved a spoon from the cupboard, stuck it into the soup, then handed it to her, taking his own bowl to the table and sitting on the lone chair there. He seemed disinclined towards speech, but Parker was determined that she would find out his plans one way or another.

The canned soup smelt good, and once Parker had seen Jarod swallow a spoonful, she tucked in herself, quickly finishing it. Jarod had already finished his, and was dragging blankets out of the cupboard to make a pallet on the floor. Retrieving one of the pillows from the mattress Parker lay on, Jarod kicked off his shoes and made to lie down.

'Not so fast labrat' Parker stopped him.

'What is it?' he asked, pausing.

'I gotta go.'

'oh.' This seemed to stump the genius for a moment. He disappeared into the bathroom, but quickly emerged holding a few items that could have conceivably been used to escape. Dumping them on the table, he returned and un-cuffed her. 'If you take too long, I'm coming in after you.' He warned her.

'Charming' replied Parker dryly, and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. The facilities were pretty basic, consisting of toilet and sink, but Parker made use of them, then considered the best way to escape. She checked the gun that was still tucked into her belt, just in case, but found it empty. There was no window, so she would simply have to go out the door and attempt to overpower the pretender.

She tucked her gun back into her belt, then turning the handle as silently as she could, she opened the door a crack and peered out into the room. Jarod was facing the fire, warming his hands. 'Perfect' thought Parker. Silently, she slipped through the door, and cast about for a sufficiently heavy weapon to knock him on the head with. Settling on an old hurricane lamp, she crept towards him.

Gritting her teeth, she raised the lamp. As though he heard the mere sound of her jaw muscles tightening, Jarod spun round in a blur of movement, grabbing her by the shoulders, forcing her arms down and shoving her back against the wall with a thump. The lamp clattered to the floor, loud in the silence. There was absolute stillness for a moment, then Jarod loosened the painful hold he had had on her shoulders, however he did not release her completely and she remained pinned to the wall, staring frozen into his suddenly unreadable eyes. 'Don't try that again' he finally said, coldly.

'Why not? You're clearly planning on disposing of me for a few weeks. What else could you possibly do?' Parker spat the words with force, fighting her fear of making him angry enough to hurt her.

'Don't test me Miss Parker.' The candlelight accentuated his icy expression, making him look like a stranger. Parker didn't back down though.

'Rat, you've kidnapped me, and dragged me out to the arsehole of Nowhere. Now you expect cooperation?'

'We can do it the hard way if you wish.'

'I thought the whole kidnapping thing _was _the hard way.'

Jarod shook his head slowly, not breaking her gaze. A tingle of fear trickled down Miss Parker's spine, but it was not in her nature to fold. Clenching her jaw, she fixed her coldest glare on the pretender, wordlessly spitting her defiance. Fleeting regret passed across his features; similar to the look he had given her right before knocking her out with the chloroform.

Releasing her shoulders, Jarod captured both wrists, then spun round behind her and transferred them to one hand. Parker swore at him and tried to jerk free, gasping as pain shot up her arms. His hold was such that it twisted painfully only should she try to move.

'I've been a prison guard, an army officer, an ex-con, a marine and a police officer Miss Parker. Which would you prefer?'

'You've never so much as squashed a spider Jarod' growled Parker, ignoring the pain in her arms as she was marched back to the bed. His reply was to trip her so she fell forward on to the bed, keeping her hands bound so she could not save herself. She grimaced into the sheets in humiliation and frustration as both wrists were cuffed behind her back with the chain running through the shackle. Thinking back to his old pretends, she remembered that squashing spiders wasn't Jarod's style- he set up the noose and let them hang themselves.

Trembling slightly with shock, Parker lay still on the bed as Jarod pulled the covers over her then retreated. She shifted closer to the shackle so she could roll onto her side, and watched the pretender as he fed another log on the fire, blew out both candles, and lay down himself.

Miss Parker closed her eyes, but she was still too surprised to sleep. Jarod's roughness was startling and scary; it was almost as though there was someone else under his skin. She found herself wondering if was using a pretend, or if he had just finally dropped one. Either way, it still seemed he was planning to get rid of her, which Parker would really rather didn't happen if she could possibly avoid it.

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End chapter three; to be continued 


	4. Default Chapter The Forth

Chapter four

Author's note: I don't think I've ever had such flattering reviews before for a story, so thankyou **NYT **(frankly, so am I), **Jar-Par Fan**(just keep speculating- you'll see),** Mishelle** (read on...)**,ella **(2 exclamation marks, aren't I lucky)**Gemini-M**(Jarod acting strange is the point)**, pretender fan **(the thing about the marine was a rhetorical question :) And I will if I can)**, angie** and **Rev2004 **(Always?).

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She spent an uneasy night dreaming of claustrophobia, and was woken the next morning by the sounds of the fire being stirred up, and another can being opened. Both hands were cold and completely numb, and her shoulders ached from the position she was in. Her mouth felt like the Sahara once more, but after last night, she didn't want to draw Jarod's attention to her. Closing her eyes, she pretended to be asleep again.

A few moments later, hands that felt burningly warm released one wrist from the cuffs, and reattached the spare cuff to the shackle. Parker's arm dropped limply to her side, painful pins and needles running along the skin. She sat up, the change in position easing the pain in her shoulders, and watched Jarod carry across another bowl of soup.

It took another two minutes before Parker could hold the spoon to eat, by which time she had decided to go along with Jarod simply for the sake of her arms. The soup did a little to ease her thirst, but she still would have gladly drained a small lake.

Jarod unbolted the door and disappeared outside for a few minutes. Parker looked idly around the room, bored and uncomfortable. Her shoes were lying at the end of the bed where she had kicked them off last night, and her toes were cold because the end of the blanket had ridden up.

Just as pins and needles were creeping into her toes, the door opened, and Jarod strode in, stamping some snow off his boots. Parker blinked. The night had apparently gotten colder. He walked over and stood over the bed, looking down at her.

'I could drug you and you could ride in the boot, or we can act civilised and you can ride in the passenger seat. Which would you prefer?'

'What do you think?' snapped Parker; resolutions of cooperation or no not, deference did not come easily. Jarod raised an eyebrow warningly.

'I'd like to ride in the passenger seat please Jarod' chanted Parker mockingly. 'Thankyou' replied Jarod, pretending to take her ­­cooperation seriously. He cuffed her to his wrist in the same arrangement as the night before, then led her out the door. The cold took her breath away, and she began to shiver almost instantly. A fine layer of white covered the trees and ground. Two trails of footprints headed off in front of them, and Jarod led her forwards.

The car was running, its heater on full blast when Jarod strapped her in, which Parker was incredibly grateful for, as her fingers and nose had already gone numb. Jarod seemed unaffected. He cuffed one wrist to the seat, leaving her left arm free, then shut the door and crossed around the front of the car. Getting in the driver's side, Jarod drove away without looking back. Now it was daylight, Parker could see that they were in deep forest- the two wheel track they followed was bumpy and in places the trees encroached upon it.

It took a good half hour to hit anything resembling a real road, and Parker was glad when they did, because the bumping and jolting had become increasingly uncomfortable.

The miles of silent highway became numbing, and the sudden halting of the car almost startled Parker. She took new stock of her surroundings; the car had pulled off the road, and was out of sight in some trees. Jarod sat silently and still in the driver's seat, his face expressionless. Parker shivered. The tableau held for a moment, then Jarod looked once at his watch, smiled and then opened his door to the frigid air outside. Parker tried to brace herself against the temperature when he crossed to her side of the car and wrenched the door open, but it was like an icy fist. She expelled a breath, and it formed an instant white cloud that hung in the air as Jarod briefly unshackled her right wrist, the reattached her hands together.

Without a word, he grasped the chain that now ran between both hands and hauled her out of the car. The cold became more extreme. It hadn't snowed yet here, and the sky was the palest blue. The air tasted like crushed diamonds, and things glittered strangely. Shivering, stumbling along as Jarod dragged her after him, Parker wondered desperately what had happened to the pretender she thought she knew so well.

The thick pine trees on either side of the road abruptly ended, revealing a canyon, which the road crossed in a solid looking bridge. The walls of the bridge were easily her head height, however it looked as though not long ago, someone had had an… accident. A hole, roughly the size of a van, had been smashed out of the heavy grid. Right then, it didn't take any sort of intelligence to see what was coming next. Parker began to struggle violently, not trying to get away in this desolate place, but rather take out her captor.

He turned to face her attack, and delivered a ringing blow to the side of her head that momentarily made the world double. Parker gasped the burningly cold air into her lungs and tried to keep fighting, lashing out with a foot, that he avoided. Dimly, she registered a car engine coming closer, somewhere in the distance. She redoubled her efforts, getting nowhere. She couldn't even postpone him, as he now simply ignored her and dragged her forwards with such speed that it was all she could do not to fall over.

Within seconds, she was at the edge of the hole, staring downwards into the black line that was the river, running far below between the pale, sheer, rocky walls of the canyon. Fascinated and frozen by the face of her own death, she was not ready for the sudden shove that put her over the edge. She desperately twisted, like a cat in mid air, lunging back by sheer force of will in an attempt to grab something to save her life. Her stomach lurched in nauseating fear, and as her brain speeded up to encompass all sensations, she realised that she was just too far away, had already fallen too far. In startling clarity she sensed her impeding death, rushing with the sheer unstoppable power of fate.

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End chapter four; to be continued 


	5. A Default Chapter

Chapter Five

Author's note: however much I have enjoyed stringing you all along, I've also been long anticipating posting this chapter. So here goes...

oh, and;

**Mishelle**: Yes, yes he did. And it wasn't so much 'try' as 'suceed.'

**Gemini-M**: A bad dream? Come now, we can be more original than that.

**lily94**: I know

**angie**: I come from Australia, so I may not speak or think good. It balances out :)

**pretender fan**: 6 exclamation marks in your review ;) How about this- I'll update, and you go study? I hear that education is really quite important these days.

**Annette:** No, this story is meant to be taking place in North America, it's just that the writer has a nationality disability. Btw, Great Britain? Urk. As for the chapter titles- it's more fun than just 'chapter one, chapter 2...' and I couldn't think of anything else. Fanfiction autmotically labels the first chapter 'default chapter' so I thought I'd follow its lead.

**Ella: **Dying? Really? Thanks. I'll update shall I? It sounds like you might need it.

**Chocofan: **Why would Jarod do that when he just threw her over...? Anyway, read on -->

**Daisyz**: In suspense is the way I like people to be. It's good fun imagining you all having anuerisms at your computers...lol. Ah, I'm a cruel person.

**NYT**: What do you think?

**Jar-Par Fan**: I hope I answer all your questions with this chapter. Patience pays off.

**Rev2004**: My story gave you goosebumps? Well your review had me bouncing off the walls for a good hour. Thankyou very much. I'm thinking of implementing some sort of review rationing, where I can only read one or two an hour, else I think death by explosion may become a serious danger.

Thanks heaps for the reviews everyone- I really appreciate them, and they drive me to my keyboard without fail.

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Less than a quarter of a second later, Parker's arms were nearly ripped out of her sockets. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming, and the all encompassing pain rapidly cleared to a strong ache. Looking up, she was momentarily hugely confused. Holding the chain of the handcuffs with one hand, panting and lying flat on his stomach with a desperate expression on his face was Jarod. Higher than that was another face, also Jarod. The screech of tires moments before she had fallen registered. Everything suddenly clicked into place. 

'Don't move' said the real Jarod, the one holding her.

'Oh please do' sniggered the other one evilly, his voice no longer that of the pretender. It still sounded familiar, and along with the expression the false features were leering, Parker lowered her gaze to stare along the canyon and attempted to place just who it was who had kidnapped her.

'You're sick Willard.' Growled the Jarod holding her, hauling with all his might on the chain, so he could reach to get his other hand onto the chain, then resting for a moment, panting still. Parker, still in a state of death readiness, could feel every little thing. Her memory gifted her with the photo of Annie, Raines' daughter, who had been murdered by Douglas Willard, who had in turn been put away by Jarod. She hung there spinning gently and shivering, listening to the conversation as though it was piped in from a million miles away.

'But it has been fun. I was hoping you might make it just in time to see her tumbling downwards, but this was is even better. The Centre will be here in, oh, two minutes. Enjoy.'

'Raines gets his hands on you and he _will _kill you. You're not the only one with a grudge in this world.'

'I'm smarter than that you little brat. And I'm not afraid to be a little ruthless; it's why I'll always run rings around you…' he paused for a moment, and Parker glanced back up at him, wondering what he heard, that she, with the yawning emptiness below her, could not.

'Here they are now. That's my cue to exit. Have fun with your ironic justice by the way.' The second face above her pulled back and disappeared.

'Pull me up Jarod' demanded Parker, not caring that the sheer terror coursing through her was clear in her voice. 'Just hold tight. I can't right now from this position. It sounds like the rest of the gang will be turning up in a few moments, they'll help.'

Parker didn't respond, just squeezed her eyes shut and tried to imagine she was at home, safe. In the clear state of mind caused by the adrenaline coursing through her system, she couldn't help wondering about her relief that Jarod hadn't truly been the one to kidnap her.

'How did you find out?' she asked, more to keep her mind off the yawning emptiness than anything else. Jarod seemed to understand, and spoke in a steady calming voice, giving more information than she had asked for, just for something to say. 'Once I discovered you'd been kidnapped, it was a matter of narrowing down enemies. If the kidnapper had actually wanted you dead then he would have killed you, so they were using you to get someone else. The fact that the kidnapper didn't send a ransom note to the Centre meant that the Centre wasn't the target, which pretty much left me. The only one who could pull this whole thing off as flawlessly as this was Willard, who escaped about two weeks ago. He's still furious that I caught him twice, and was nervous that I would do so again if left alone. He pretended to be me because partially cooperative hostages are always easier to deal with. He was probably thinking and acting like me for the most part, no doubt modified to make room for what he thinks of as necessary cruelty…'

Jarod's voice trailed off, and Parker looked up again, meeting his eyes. Now his desperation was mixed with terror. The sound of a car pulling up filtered down to her, and footsteps crunched towards the two. She realised that he could have dropped her and escaped, and a wave of feeling, she didn't quite know what, washed through her.

'Parker?' His voice was tremulous. 'Yes?' She mouthed, not glancing away from his chocolate eyes (she realised now that Willard's contact lenses had been hard and dark, not deep and warm like Jarod's eyes).

'I love you.'

Parker smiled ruefully in acknowledgement, then flinched as she heard the sound of a gun being cocked. 'We should listen to anonymous tip offs more often' Lyle's voice floated down to her.

'Lyle you miserable arsehole, stop gloating and help him pull me up.' Her voice managed to be hard and commanding, and Parker thanked her years of training in the Centre, for being able to block out her terror at that moment.

'Hmm… nah.'

'Lyle, this isn't funny' Parker was still gazing into Jarod's eyes, but couldn't see Lyle above. He was standing back from the edge. What scared her though, was the look in Jarod's eyes. He was silently bidding her farewell. Parker swallowed hard.

'I mean, how often do I get the chance to rule the Centre, unchallenged? You die, dear sister, and I've got one broken pretender under my control, and no one to equal me.'

'Like Raines and Daddy would let you just waltz to the top.'

'It's not a matter of 'letting' sis. Not planning on giving them a choice.'

'You kill her Lyle, and you won't live long enough to gain the power of a AAA battery.' Jarod's voice was firm and harsh, but his knuckles were white where they gripped the handcuffs, and his eyes never left hers. Then, to Parker's immense relief, there was a screech of a car stopping from speed up on the bridge. She could almost see Lyle pause in indecision and then heard the gun being put away and his face appeared above Jarod's. 'How exactly did you end up down there anyway?' he asked, apparently having decided not to kill his twin in the plain view of whoever had just arrived.

'Ever heard of Douglas Willard?' Ground out Jarod. The strain was clearly wearing on him.

'The blue moon killer?' said Lyle in surprise.

'Where?' Asked the wheezing voice of Raines, with enough threat of violent aggression his voice to scare a lion into submission. Parker heard two sets of footsteps- Probably Willie had accompanied Raines- he always did. They had no doubt followed her twin without his knowledge.

'He planned all this,' Jarod told him neutrally, 'he only stayed as long as it took to gloat over his victory. If you help me pull her up, I'll tell you where he's gone.'

'Willie' said the wheezing voice; all the command that was needed. Lyle's head pulled back, and a pair of dark hands seized Jarod's shoulders. Parker felt herself rising. With a sudden heave, she was up onto the road, trembling violently, with the pain in her arms coming sharply to her attention. Jarod had collapsed in a heap opposite her, and was shuddering with equal force. Slowly, carefully, Parker pulled herself to her feet, rising to stand eye to eye with her brother, Raines and his sweeper. Jarod remained sitting limp like a rag doll, back against the fence, eyes staring blankly into nothing. He looked as though he had just realised that the Centre had caught up with him.

Amazingly, no guns were yet in evidence. Both the other men were waiting for Raines' lead. 'Where…is he?' demanded the gravely. Jarod glanced up dully. 'His car would have been hidden in the trees off the side of the road, on a small ranger's track or something.' He looked at Parker for confirmation, and she nodded slightly. Sighing, he pulled himself up, whilst Raines looked on impatiently. Lyle had a faint smile on his face, and Willie was his usual impassive self.

'He won't have taken the track. It's the obvious way, and it's too slow. By now he'll have driven about 15 miles, to another car that he would have secreted away. The first car will have been driven deep into the trees- you won't find it. I'll… I'll track him, if you let me drive.'

Raines barely hesitated. 'Give him the keys Willie.' The sweeper did so, and Jarod started for the car. Shaking his head, Lyle headed for his own car, and Raines, Willie and Miss Parker bundled into the other one. The warmth inside the car was the most welcome thing Parker had ever felt. She allowed Willie to open and close her door for her, but ignored him as she sat opposite him. She was too busy trying to figure how Jarod would get out of this one, because she had realised that she didn't want him locked away. Bastards like Willard deserved to be locked away- Jarod did not.

The pretender behind the wheel started the car with smooth efficiency and accelerated hard enough to force them all back in their seats. His pace didn't slow down any, and Lyle's car was soon left far behind. Seatbelt-less and holding on to the car door to keep from being thrown into Willie, Parker wished with all her might that Jarod could best Willard just one more time. The thought of what Raines would do if he didn't was too much to bear.

Jarod handled the car like a pro-racing driver, but Willard had had a good head start. When Parker saw the road branch up ahead, her heart clenched in fear, but Jarod didn't pause, heading down the right fork. His face had taken on that hardness that she had seen in Willard/Jarod over the past day.

The car was entirely silent, save for the wheezing of Raines' breathing. They passed no other cars on this remote road and the time stretched on and on. Parker's wrists ached. Despite the fact that she was warming up, she couldn't stop shivering, and it was taking effort to hide it from the men in the car. It took a moment before she realised Jarod had spoken to her, his voice tense as he threw the car around to negotiate the bends. 'What?'

'What colour was his car?'

'Black- a BMW I think.'

'Right. Keep your eyes peeled for a red van of some sort.' That was all. No explanation, but no one in the car questioned him. And finally… In front of them a red van could be occasionally glimpsed when the road stayed straight for a bit. They gained on it, even though it was clear that it was speeding dangerously. Jarod was quite simply driving the better vehicle. 'Willie' commanded Raines again. The sweeper nodded once, silently unwound his window, un-holstered his gun, and aimed at the tyres of the van. A single shot sounded, and black smoke spewed up from the rear of the van. Jarod slowed suddenly, keeping well back from the inevitable crash.

The van slewed across the road, hit the dirt shoulder and rolled once to stop against a tree, upside down. There was a jarring screech as Jarod pulled to a halt. He stayed in the car however. Hands trembling with long suppressed rage, Raines waited for Willie to get his door, and dragging his gas tank behind him, walked over to the crash site. Jarod didn't wait to see any more. With another screech of tires, he pulled back onto the road and accelerated away. Parker watched their retreating forms in the rear windscreen. Willie looked up once, then turned back to Raines, who had not even flinched whilst Jarod made his escape. Then the road swung around a corner and they were gone.

'I'm sorry Miss Parker, but I do believe I've just kidnapped you.' She could see him regarding her via the rear-vision mirror.

'That's alright labrat, as long as I can have a change of clothes and a shower, and soon.'

Jarod laughed. 'It will be done. It's the least I can do for making you a target for Willard. Would you like the handcuffs off by the way?'

Parker looked down at her trembling hands, and where the skin was red from chafing. Bruises were beginning to form from having her whole weight suspended on the cuffs. 'That would be nice'

'Hang on one moment, then we'll pull over.'

Once they'd driven for about five minutes more, Jarod did indeed pull over, getting in beside her on the back seat so she wouldn't have to leave the warm car. 'Here' he said, gently taking her bound wrists. Turning them slightly with one hand, with the other he reached into a pocket in his leather jacket and withdrew a paperclip. Unbending it with one hand and his teeth so he didn't have to let go of her hands, he used it to pick the lock and release her. 'Th…thanks' said Parker, through teeth that would no longer obey her command not to chatter.

Jarod looked at her, head on one side, then took off his leather duster and draped it over her shoulders. She pulled it around herself as he got back out of the car, opened her door for her and resettled her in the front seat, doing up her seatbelt for her. Parker would not normally have allowed the mothering from anyone but Sydney, and then only in special circumstances, but she was feeling badly shaken. Getting back behind the wheel, Jarod got them back onto the road, and turned the heater up full bore as he smoothly negotiated the bends. Parker's muscle began to relax, and she sighed deeply. The glittering light dimmed behind pale, thick clouds, and it didn't take long before she was dozing off; not having slept much the night before. The miles passed silently, and it began to snow again.

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End Chapter five; to be continued (Some serious JMP on the way) 


	6. The Final Default Chapter

Chapter Six

ella: thankyou very much for both your reviews. Your second one finally prodded me into action to post this- I know I only go back and re-review something if I'm really desperate, so I feel very flattered. I hope you like it.

phi4858: 'until now'? Erg, the nervousness clamps down upon me. I hope this chapter meets your expectations.

Jar-Par Fan: Um. I posted. :-D Hopefully this should forestall you tracking me down and banging my head against the desk until I update.

thepretender1031: aw, shucks. Thank you. (That's me wondering who Dean Koontz is)

Mishelle: yeah, me too.

pretender fan: thanx for keeping your suspicions about alex to yourself- nothing more annoying than a reviewer that tries to write the story :) Hope you enjoy this chapter; I did a little happy dance when I read your review.

Rev2004: That was the aim. btw, you are almost always the first to post a review to this story. Please tell me that you're not just sitting at your comp waiting for people to post, because I have a cruel personality, one that exploits people like that. : p

Daisyz: Screaming is good. Screaming means I'm doing it right. Enjoy the chapter.

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When Parker began to snore quietly, Jarod finally managed to relax. She been kidnapped, thrown off a bridge, then nearly killed by her psychotic brother, and now he was doing something completely against the script by taking her onto his side. The combined shocks had blunted her claws for the moment, but whatever he had admitted to her when he thought he was about to be killed, he doubted her meekness would last.

He drove along the snowy, winding road, heading generally east, but keeping away from the main roads. It meant the journey would be a lot slower, but they were harder to trace that way. He was heading to Delaware, to return Miss Parker to her home. It was only fair for her to make the decisions about her future once she was feeling more herself, and away from anyone's influence but her own. It would, however, take a day and a half to get there, which gave him plenty of time with her, something he had always secretly treasured.

Jarod did, however, pull onto the freeway for long enough to reach a McDonalds. He parked the car and went to the counter, rather than going straight through the drive through just in case it woke Parker up from much needed sleep. He needn't have worried- they were back onto the small roads with the meal half-finished before she woke up.

'You never could resist grease, could you PEZ-head?'

'It's so much tastier than anything else. Besides, I've got a lot of greaseless years to catch up on.'

Parker shook her head and untangled her free hand from his jacket to poke among the packages, trying to determine if there was anything actually edible among the fries and nuggets. Realising that there was no way Miss Parker would eat traditional takeaway food, Jarod had thought ahead to buy a bottle of water and a salad. Wordlessly she picked up the bottle and half-emptied it. The salad disappeared almost as quickly, by which time Jarod had finished the rest of the food.

They drove on in silence for another fifteen minutes. Jarod didn't want to be the first to talk; despite their brief banter, he was uncertain of Miss Parker's mood. So he waited for Miss Parker to breach the silence herself.

'Where are we going?' she asked finally, not looking at him.

'I was planning on stopping overnight at a roadside motel, probably in about an hour.'

'Shower?' she asked hopefully, ignoring his dodging of the question.

'And clothes, and a bed, and a shave, and some non-packaged food' confirmed Jarod in a wistful voice. Parker glanced over at him with a smile, noticing for the first time that he looked more ragged than usual. She realised that he probably hadn't slept since she was taken, and her stomach flipped slightly, although once again, the emotion was unclear.

As twilight began to settle like the snow, Jarod pulled into one of the more classy looking motels along the road. 'Wanna wait in the car while I get a room?' asked Jarod charitably. Parker snuggled into his leather coat still draped around her and nodded sleepily. He smiled, reached over and delicately extracted a credit card from one of the pockets in the jacket, then heaved himself out of the car.

Parker wasn't quite sure how he did it; she had dozed off before he returned for her- but as he led her carefully to their room, hotel employees scurried before them, opening doors before them, asking Jarod a few efficient questions, and generally being helpful. Moving like a sleepwalker, Parker allowed herself to be seated on the couch whilst Jarod dealt with them, and sighed with relief when the last one left. He turned to her with a lopsided grin and shrugged. 'Whose money did you just throw at them?' she asked wearily, not really caring.

Grinning innocently, he shrugged, sauntered over to the on-suite bathroom, poked his head inside, nodded as though satisfied and then flopped down on one of the two single beds. 'He'll never notice it- he has more than he can ever use.'

Parker let out a snort of bemusement. There was a knock on the door and she groaned, but Jarod moved lightly to his feet and answered it. Parker was no longer watching. She had closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the couch. When the door shut, after a brief exchange between Jarod and whoever it was, she lifted her head and looked to see what had appeared.

'Clothes and food' said Jarod simply. There was a room service cart that had been pushed into the room, and draped over Jarod's arm were various fabrics, including some that looked like flannelette pyjamas. Giving her a wink, he laid out the clothes on one bed, then flopped down on the other one, closing his eyes and leaving Parker to do as she wished.

It took about five minutes before she could force herself to move, during which Jarod did not move or make a sound. Standing slowly, she sorted through the clothes he had dredged up, deciding that she was just going to change into the pyjamas straight after her shower. That decided, she picked them up, carried them into the bathroom, and proceeded to have the longest, hottest shower of her life.

By the time she emerged, feeling much more human in soft, fresh pyjamas, with clean, dried hair, Jarod had stirred, and was picking over some food he had carried over to his bed. Parker followed his lead, and they ate for a while in silence. He finished before her, and disappeared into the steamed up bathroom. By the time he was done, Parker had curled up on top of the covers, and looked to be peacefully asleep. Smiling softly at how beautiful she looked, Jarod gently extracted the blankets from under her and tucked her in. Turning the lights off, he retreated to his own bed, and was soon deep in soothing sleep.

**oo00OO00oo **

The next morning, sunlight brushed over Parker's eyelashes, waking her. Blinking a couple of times, she yawned quietly, rolling over to look and the form under the blankets in the other bed. He was facing away from her, but the mound in the bed, delineated by the sunlight, rose and fell comfortingly as he breathed. Sighing in simple happiness, Parker sat up in bed. The movement woke Jarod, and he slowly awoke, looking adorably tussled and sleepy.

'Morning PEZ-head' Parker greeted him cheerfully. Grinning as he blinked at her, she threw the blankets back and stalked over to lay claim to the bathroom. Jarod watched her with a bemused smile on his face, shaking his head on general principles.

**oo00OO00oo**

Their conversation in the car as they got on the road again kept firmly away from the three little words Jarod has said as they were both hanging on the verge of death. They were both intelligent adults, and both knew fairly well how things between them lay, even if no one else in the world could even begin to grasp it. It was, however, part of the unspoken rules that the whole thing remained, well… unspoken. Nevertheless, the dynamic between them had changed slightly, and one part of Jarod's mind was wondering if it was due to the changed circumstances (ie. Parker wasn't chasing him waving a gun- the way they had spent the majority of any time to together over the past few years), or because Jarod had saved her life, or if it was after all because Jarod had admitted…about… the thing.

That part of Jarod's mind contemplating this was frequently having to be engaged for other duties, and he was only working himself around in circles, so he decided to drop that line of thought. The above mentioned other duties were keeping up with Miss Parker. She was an excellent conversationalist, now she had stopped snarling at him, although she did not let up on the taunting and verbal sparring. Jarod didn't mind. If he was truly honest with himself, he actually enjoyed it.

'You don't have to drive exactly on the speed limit you know.'

'It is the way to get somewhere in the shortest time without breaking the law.'

'No one's going to catch you if you just go a little bit over.'

'It's highly unlikely that the police will notice yes. It is still against the law though. And the stopping times increase exponentially with speed increase, thus increasing chance of crashing and…' Jarod trailed off, realising she was just winding him up. 'You don't really care how fast we're going, you're just trying to pick an argument.'

Parker just laughed, seemingly enjoying herself far too much.

'You take the bait every time rat boy.'

'I think this is probably why I usually tease you from a long way away in ways where you can't retaliate.'

'Or possibly it's because you're a coward.'

'Miss Parker, I'm wounded. I happen to have defied death a number of times.'

'I'm not talking coward in the normal sense. You're more of a allegorical coward.'

'How so?'

'Well… there's what you just mentioned. Plus the whole pacifism thing.'

'What? Pacifism is not cowardice. Besides, I'm not a pacifist.'

'Yes you are. You don't like guns.'

'You just like guns far too much. And anyway, I shot a man once.' Jarod added boastfully, feeling the need to defend himself.

'Let me guess; he was wearing a vest?'

'Well… maybe.' Replied Jarod, in mock sulkiness. Parker laughed again. 'Have I mentioned you're a child as well?'

'And?'

'It's not normally something people should be proud of.'

'Oh you love it.'

'Mmm. Just so long as you're not actually under-age.' Murmured Parker silkily. Jarod blinked a couple of times in shock and swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. Having decided she'd firmly taken the higher ground, Parker sat back and grinned smugly, leaving Jarod stunned into silence at the sudden change of tone. To divert his suddenly heated thoughts, he reached into the inside pocket of his leather jacket and extracted a mobile phone.

'What's that for?' Asked Parker, temporarily forgetting their low level good-natured bickering.

' Sydney. I really should have rung him earlier. He's been worried sick since I told him you'd been kidnapped.'

'How did you know I'd been kidnapped before he did?' Asked Parker curiously as Jarod hit a speed dial number and waited for Sydney to pick up. 'A magician never reveals his secrets.' He replied with a wink, Parker rolled her eyes but let it drop. Hearing the aged psychiatrist pick up, he put the mobile on speaker phone so they could both talk to him then put the phone on the dashboard. Parker heard Syd's voice give a cautious 'This is Sydney.' It almost sounded like he didn't dare to hope.

''S been a good day Sydney.' Said Jarod, grinning across at Parker in the passenger seat.

'Thank God, Jarod. Did you find her, is she OK?'

'You're probably worse off than me Syd. Worrying isn't good for you, you know.'

'Miss Parker! What happened?' There was a distinct note of joy in the shrink's voice at hearing Parker alive and unharmed.

'I got kidnapped by Douglas Willard, dressed as Jarod.'

'What happened to him?' Sydney's voice was suddenly reserved, knowing that both Lyle and the chairman of the Centre had headed out on 'secret' trips the day before.

'I don't know. We left him to Raines.' Jarod's voice was flat. There was a moment's silence.

'What about Lyle?'

'Dumped him. We'll talk to you later Sydney.' Jarod ended the call, knowing there was a risk of tracing on his phone if he stayed on the line two long.

'We're heading back to Delaware.' Stated Parker after a few moments silence.

'Yes.' Replied Jarod, not volunteering information. Parker sighed in frustration at him, and he couldn't hold back the slight smile on his face. Making her annoyed was just so much fun.

'We should be there in about two hours. Hopefully no one will realise my plans before them and be waiting for us.'

'Yeah.' Agreed Parker absently, thoughts occurring to her. Jarod focused his eyes on the road and concentrated on driving for a bit. Parker had obviously, consciously or unconsciously, avoided thinking about what came next until now. The call to Sydney was no doubt starting things surfacing in her head. Jarod left her to it. If she was going to make any decisions, then they were hers to make. She had been manipulated long enough by the Centre, and he would not sink to their level. The rest of the journey remained relatively silent, yet it seemed all too soon before he was negotiating the back streets to her address.

'So what now?' she said, standing uncertainly on the pavement outside her house, the stolen black Centre sedan parked at the curb. Jarod stood behind her, watching her as she regarded the stone façade. 'Miss Parker?' He murmured, his deep voice was laced with some unreadable emotion

'Yes?' she replied, slightly nervously, turning to face him. In response he took one smooth step forward, bent his head, and softly, sweetly, warmly, captured her lips in a momentary kiss. Miss Parker's spine melted, and she shivered as he pulled back with a soft chuff of warm air. Looking deep into her eyes, he paused for a moment and then smiled. 'It's your call' he murmured softly, the smile turning into a wicked grin. She met his gaze, transfixed, until a flock of geese, migrating for the autumn, hurtled noisily overhead, startling her to look upwards. When she looked back, he had vanished, but Miss Parker smiled nonetheless. It was indeed her call, and she knew just what to do.

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The End

Author's Note: Thankyou to all the readers and hangers on of this little fic. I'm thinking of writing a sequel, should there be the demand for it. What do you all think?


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